An interior stylist lifts the curtain on her trade secrets, revealing how to revitalize a room, lickety-split.

What You Can Do in a Day

What You Can Do in a Day

Ever notice how houses in magazines look like real life, only, you know, better? That's because there are people whose very job it is to come in and fluff things up before a photo shoot. Among them, CL contributing editor Gena Sigala, who took this living room from "before" to "after" in a matter of hours. "I zero in on details that often get neglected," Sigala says. "They're the kind of finishing touches most people never quite get around to or aren't really sure how to do." Like a few artfully arranged objects on a shelf, an erudite stack of books, and — the dilemma that stumps everybody — throw pillows!